Ski boots, hockey skates and the like are commonly provided with bladders which are similar to thickly padded socks. Such bladders are usually of a unilayer construction and are worn under the shell of the boots, skates or the like. The bladder is intended to prevent shifting of the wearer's foot inside the shell, hence reducing the abrasion of the shell on the foot and thereby providing greater comfort to the wearer. Typically, the area for which comfort is the most difficult and most critical to attain is that about the ankle. Since the bladder and shell cannot be mass produced in a manner which will fit everyone equally well, various different techniques have, in the past, been developed for custom-fitting ski-boots, hockey skates and the like after their manufacture.
One such prior technique requires the wearer to affix self-adhesive foam pads directly to the bladder exterior. This method suffers from the disadvantage that it is very time-consuming to attain a comfortable fit. It is also very difficult for the manufacturer to pre-determine in what thicknesses the foam padding should be provided.
Another prior technique involves the provision of a ladder having a special two-layer construction. The area between the layers forms a reservoir into which is blown a two-part foam. One disadvantage of this technique is that too much foam can be delivered to areas in which it is not required. Further, once the foam has cured, it is difficult and painful to break in the boot, skate or the like. Additionally, this technique requires radical modification of the bladder to hold the foam.